When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, its a good core workout. If youre sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More

In the past 30 years, light artists have reimagined an art form that has always had the ability to turn the night sky, or a simple window, into luminescence. Last fall, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts turned its southern glass wall into a parade of sound-sensing lights, Lightswarm, that changes with the movements of nearby people and things. Future Cities Lab, the San Francisco design company behind Lightswarm, has originated another notable light sculpture. Located by the YBCA's steps at 701 Mission, Murmur Wall will light up in arresting ways as it incorporates local trending search engine results and social media postings. Onlookers can offer their own contributions, which will feed into the Murmur Wall's data stream and light up the sculpture. What's trending in San Francisco? If you're walking by the YBCA, you can see firsthand — at least through light patterns that reflect the city's volatile internet habits.
Murmur Wall debuts Thursday at 6 p.m. and continues through May 31, 2017, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F. Free; 415-978-2700 or ybca.org. More

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Composer Steve Reich has retracted the artwork for his new album WTC 9/11, which is scheduled for release this September. The original cover art featured Masatomo Kuriya's infamous photograph of the second plane flying into the World Trade Center on 11 September, 2001. The photo was darkened with a sepia tint for the album cover.

Reich's record label, Nonesuch, revealed the cover a few weeks ago, provoking a heated debate over whether the image was appropriate or exploitative. Composer Phil Kline called it "the first truly despicable classical album cover that I have ever seen."

Yet others, including David Harrington, violinist for the S.F.-based Kronos Quartet, believe that the cover matches the documentary, raw nature of the triple quartet. Kronos Quartet commissioned the piece from Reich, as a "bookend" to Reich's two other compositions for Kronos, "Different Trains" (1989), and "Triple Quartet" (1998). In an interview with SF Weekly, Harrington expressed support for the controversial cover image.

"As I told Steve, I have two favorite Nonesuch covers. One was the cover for our Early Music album. The second one is WTC 9/11," Harrington says in a phone interview. He was not involved in the cover design, but says, "War has been so sanitized. How many Americans died [today]? How many Afghanis? How many Iraqis? To keep people from thinking about it ... is not good."

WTC 9/11 is a piece in three movements that uses pre-recorded voices in a stop-motion sound technique. The recordings come from NORAD air traffic controllers raising the alert that the airplanes were going off course, from FDNY workers on the scene, from friends and neighbors of the Reichs recalling the day, and from the women who kept vigil over the dead, singing and reading Biblical passages in a tent outside the Medical Examiner's office. Kronos Quartet's live performances of the piece so far have received glowing reviews.

It seems that Reich worries that the controversy over the cover will prevent people from appreciating the recording. In a statement released on Nonesuch's blog, he says he decided to change the cover "so we can put the focus back where it belongs, on the music." The new cover art has not yet been released.

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Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"